7th_college-readiness-action-plan-2016-20212

Tell students they have likely heard the advertisement, “Some things in life are free, for everything else, there’s your credit card.” Ask students to: 1 List everything that they have

SUU Educational Talent Search College Readiness Action Plan

The Southern Utah University Educational Talent Search Program has created a comprehensive plan to prepare students from 7th to 12th grade for post-secondary access and admittance This effort is a focus of a Federally funded grant program that gives first-generation and/or low-income students the necessary information, connections and tools to navigate the educational system and apply to, secure funding for and attend institutions of higher education

The focus of the Talent Search Program is college access The Program utilizes group workshops, individual sessions and college tours to offer readiness planning for its participants Advisors attempt to help students align secondary preparation with postsecondary expectations and readiness

The curriculum included in the College Readiness Action Plan, along with advisor contacts links the Talent Search objectives with the intended

program outcomes Utilizing the structural measure of Bloom’s Taxonomy, advisors are able to determine whether the mandatory and permissible services offered Talent Search participants are creating the type of incremental awareness that will lead to postsecondary admission and attainment

7th Grade College Readiness Action PlanThe Educational Talent Search Program at Southern Utah University offers informational workshops and on-campus experiences for 7th grade students We align our curriculum and campus tours to coincide with Bloom’s taxonomical structure to provide a foundation for post-

SUU TALENT SEARCH SERVICE PLAN 2016 - 2021 7th Grade

Khan Academy On-Line Tutoring Program Information Newsletter

Parent Conference - CCR/SEOP Chart in Blumen when they occur

College Readiness Action Plan Individual or group contact

Utah Scholars/Regents Scholarship Program Info Newsletter/Mailing

https://higheredutah.org/utah-scholars-is-making-a-difference-in-utah-schools-and-you-can-help/ https://stepuputah.com/id/students/utah-scholars- the-first-step-to-college/

UTAH SCHOLARS INITIATIVE Brochure: The First Step to College, Utah Scholars 8th Grade Presentation, USI Presentation Notecards, Utah Scholars Student Survey

Concurrent Enrollment Information Newsletter/Personal Contact Financial Aid Information & Assistance Scholarship Search Newsletter

Chutes & Ladders Banking & Personal Credit (WA 7-21) Income, Savings & Spending (WA 6-15)

Utah Education Saving Plan 529 Information Mailing

How to Be a Rockstar Transitioning to High School (WA 8-17)

College = Opportunities (Granite p 3-6)

Career Worm (Tauna) Video: Utah Council Utah Colleges and Universities (Granite pg 24)

Cultural Events

Group Workshop

Group Workshop

Tutoring

Advice & Assistance in Course Selection

Improving Financial & Economic Literacy

Personal & Career Counseling Activities

Financial & Economic Literacy Workshop Group Workshop

Successful Classroom Skills

Career Exploration (on-line inventories)

Introduction to Colleges

Group Workshop

Connections to High-Quality Tutoring

The Talent Search project will identify student(s) to participate in after school tutoring with a teacher In addition to this, any TS student at risk of academic failure will be referred to credit recovery programs Performance and progress of participants will be monitored by TS advisors on a weekly monthly, quarterly and annual basis Advisors will consult with teachers to determine academic performance and progress in completing course

requirements, and counsel participants as appropriate

All TS students will be given access to the free on-ine tutoring program sponsored by Khan Academy Identified 8th grade students may participate in an 8th grade after school tutoring program addressing the difficult transition year from middle school to high school, and to help those students prepare for a more rigorous level of coursework

Generation Z

They are all about communication with Social Media – 81% use media rather than face-to-face

communication

They want to know they matter; however, you must go to them as they will not come to you

This group now comprises 1/3 of the population

These students

• Lack situational awareness

• Are oblivious to their surroundings

• Rely on their devices

84% multitask

76% want to turn their hobby into a career – they are individualists and believe in their entrepreneurial abilities They also want to grow in a career and are self-directed

42% expect to work for themselves – they have worries about the economy

They speak in emojis and find emotion to be the most important way to judge experience They have a short attention span and communicate in symbols They speak their mind and want interactive

communication They will talk to you in person but they want you to get to the point right away Generation Z don’t want debt or payments as they have been influenced by the recession of 2008 They save money but they do it for savings’ sake, they don’t save for anything in particular

Because of their individual requirements, they want flexibility and instant results They are easily frustrated

They are also intimidated by those in authority and would rather text than talk on the phone or meet with authority face-to-face In addition to this, they don’t listen to authority other than their parents who they will call for advice and approval

Ways to influence/communicate with Gen Z:

1 Focus on the future but make it ‘their’ future

2 Use multiple social media platforms to get information to them

3 Go to the student – pro-active and/or intrusive counseling

4 They do well with peer mentoring

5 Help them understand the why

6 They connect with education when they can make or create something

Hidden and/or Invisible Barriers to Academic Success for Low-Income

Students Taken from the work of Marlene Schommer-Aikins

Awareness

Classroom Performance

Self-regulated Learning

Beliefs about Ways of knowing Beliefs about

Knowledge

Beliefs about Learning

Cultural Relational Views

ow income students have a sense of foreboding and weight in relation to their families They feel a lot

of pressure; however, they cannot articulate much about the pressure as their cultural-relational views are embedded and unquestioned

In primary and secondary schooling, the focus is on classroom performance and self-regulated learning Students who are low income operate from a place below awareness They have beliefs about

knowledge and learning that cannot be addressed by performance and self-regulation

b Primary and secondary institutions solidify this belief system

c Becoming very confusing with ‘fake news’

d Research is difficult for them

2 Responsibility for Learning (Omniscient authority)

a The teacher knows everything

b The teacher is responsible for my learning (this is becoming institutionalized at the primary and secondary levels)

c If I don’t learn, it is someone else’s fault – I am off the hook (they try to get ‘off the hook’ for everything possible (Remember the pressure they feel)

3 Simple Knowledge

a Knowledge is made up of information bits

b Learning means memorization of facts

c They cannot synthesize or analyze

d Use Bloom’s taxonomy in planning lessons

4 Speed of Learning

a Learning should be quick and easy

b They will give up after a few minutes

c ‘I’ll never get it.’

d They want instant gratification in learning also – impossible for most!

e Don’t believe you should have to ‘chew on’ and idea

Methods to challenge hidden beliefs:

1 Student must participate in exploration of personal knowledge – they have to ask continually ‘is this true’ about their assumptions

2 Student must engage in processes that examine differing points of view

3 Scenarios that are more global must be presented

4 Debate as a method of learning should be incorporated into discussions – the student must take

on the view of an opponent to challenge simple knowledge

5 Common ground can be established and should be encouraged

6 Student needs to understand another belief system, they do not have to change their own

7 Opposing views need to be safe

– Money Vocabulary (Answer Key included in this lesson plan)

– True Cost of Borrowing Money (Answer Key included in this lesson plan)

– Journal Page

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1 Students consider the true cost of things Tell students they have likely heard the

advertisement, “Some things in life are free, for everything else, there’s your credit card.”

Ask students to: (1) List everything that they have done in the past week that costs money, and (2) List everything that they did in the past week that didn’t cost money Have them write their

responses under two titles in their notebooks – FREE and NOT FREE

Ask students to rethink the list that they think doesn’t cost anything Often there are hidden costs Have students name activities on the list that cost a one-time fee or that have hidden costs

(example: walking = cost of shoes) Ask students to move those activities from the FREE to the NOT FREE column Explain to students that many of the things they thought were free really aren’t – almost everything has a cost – sometimes they just can’t see it

Refocus the classroom’s attention back to the list of activities you know cost money Tell them there are other costs associated with the things they do Ask the students to think about the costs associated with going to the movies They may come up with ideas such as: the cost of

transportation to the theater, the cost of gas, admission ticket costs, the cost of snacks, the

opportunity costs (what you could have been doing instead)

7-21 ▲ BANKING AND PERSONAL CREDIT

CAREER GUIDANCE WASHINGTON ▲ WWW.K12.WA.US ▲ OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Tell students that all things have a cost For this reason, it is wise for people to get at managing their money, assuring they have the financial capacity to pursue whatever interests come their way

2 Students learn the language of banking and loans Tell students there are a lot of words used

in the world of banking and credit This first exercise is going to teach them some of that language Put students into groups of four students Distribute a copy of Money Vocabulary to each student Ask students to answer the matching questions in groups One student at a time proposes a match – students discuss and accept or reject as a group After some discussion, review the right answers with students The Answer Key is provided below

3 Students practice using the language of money Ask students to stay sitting in their groups

Ask them to pretend they are an expert in the world of banking and lending Ask them to create a single sentence that uses three or more of the Money Vocabulary words The more words they use correctly in one sentence, the better! For example, a student may write, “I went to the ATM at

my bank and obtained a balance on my account.” Once they have their sentence, the groups read their sentences to each other Tell the group to select a nominee for best money sentence End the exercise by having each group read their nominee sentence to the class You or the class can pick the winning sentence

4 Students calculate the cost of borrowing money. Put students into four groups Place a copy

of True Cost of Borrowing Money with each student Ask one student to read the first scenario aloud to their group The team calculates the cost of borrowing the money and then must reach consensus on whether to take the loan or not After a few minutes, ask groups for their decisions Repeat for all four scenarios When all four are done, review the answers and have students fill out the calculation as you review each one Encourage students to understand that taking a loan

or not a judgment of how people spend their money Borrowing is completely up to each

individual, as long as they are informed about the real cost of borrowed money

5 Students discuss the impact of borrowing money. Lead a group discussion on the following:

– Ask students why lenders don’t want to advertise the real cost of money

– Ask students why people don’t save to purchase instead of borrowing to purchase

– Having savings in a bank account earns interest for the saver Borrowing money from a bank costs interest What tips or ideas do students have to make interest work for you instead of against you?

6 Students identify their own spending and saving habits. Ask students to write answers to the

following questions in their Journal Page.

– Are you a good saver or do you tend to spend all you have? Give an example

– Are you a good shopper or do you buy the first thing you see? Give an example

– What kinds of products are you willing to borrow money to obtain?

STUDENT PRODUCTS

► Completed Journal Page on individual spending and saving habits

F I N A N C I A L L I T E R A C Y

L E S S O N 7 - 2 1 S T U D E N T H A N D O U T

M O N E Y V O C A B U L A R Y

Draw a line to connect the words to their definitions below:

ATM B Record of money spent and remaining in account

account for purchases

Credit Check /

Debit Card / Bank Card

/ Check Card L A number bankers use to determine how likely money will be repaid if loaned to an individual

M O N E Y V O C A B U L A R Y c o n t

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may occur

account has in it

has a set date to be repaid, often in 15 or 30 years

F I N A N C I A L L I T E R A C Y

L E S S O N 7 - 2 1 T E A C H E R H A N D O U T

M O N E Y V O C A B U L A R Y A N S W E R K E Y

ATM A Automated Teller Machine used to withdraw money

Credit Check /

Credit Score L A number bankers use to determine how likely money will be repaid if loaned to an individual (high score is best)

Debit Card / Bank Card

/ Check Card I Card that pays money directly from a person’s checking account for purchases

may occur

M O N E Y V O C A B U L A R Y A N S W E R K E Y c o n t

The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

set date to be repaid, often in 15 or 30 years

account has in it

F I N A N C I A L L I T E R A C Y

L E S S O N 7 - 2 1 S T U D E N T H A N D O U T

T R U E C O S T O F B O R R O W I N G M O N E Y

SCENARIO 1: CASH ADVANCE LOAN

You want to buy a new iPod head-set for $80 but don’t have any money saved You see an ad for a

payday loan and decide to give it a try The short term loan is due to be paid in full on your next pay day in two weeks and you will be charged 18% interest per week on the principle amount How much will interest will you have to pay? How much will the total payday loan cost?

($80 principle x 0. _ interest) = ($ _ x 2 weeks) = ($ interest + $80 principle) = $ _ paid Would you take this loan? YES NO

SCENARIO 2: CREDIT CARD

You want to buy the latest video gaming system It costs $500 A friend is coming to visit this coming weekend You do not have time to save for the purchase, so you apply for a credit card You are accepted and your new card has a monthly interest rate of 10% You plan to pay the credit card off in 6 months How much interest will you pay in 6 months? How much do you need to pay every month?

($500.00 principle x 0. interest) = ($ _ x months) = ($ .00 interest + $ principle) =

($ .00 total paid for purchase of game system / 6 months) = $ _ monthly payment

Would you take this loan? YES NO

SCENARIO 3: CAR LOAN (3 YEARS)

You turn 16 and are ready to hit the road in style! You have a part time job and are approved for a car loan for up to $5,000.00 for 3 years with a 7% annual interest rate After lots of car shopping, you find the ride of your dreams, but what will it really cost you in interest? How much will the loan cost over 3 years (36 months)? How much will you need to pay monthly?

($5,000.00 principle x 0. interest) = ($ x years) = ($ .00 interest + $ principle) =

($ .00 total paid for purchase of car / 36 months) = $ _ monthly payment

Would you take this loan? YES NO

SCENARIO 4: HOME MORTGAGE LOAN

You are ready to settle down and purchase a home You apply for a first time home buyer’s loan and contact your local real estate agent After lots of searching, you find a home that suits your needs It costs

T R U E C O S T O F B O R R O W I N G M O N E Y c o n t

The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

$100,000.00 Your loan is approved for $100,000 for 30 years (360 months) at 5% fixed annual interest rate

$ principle x 0. interest = $ x years = $ interest + $ principle =

$ .00 total paid for purchase of home / 360 months) = $ .monthly payment Would you take this loan? YES NO

F I N A N C I A L L I T E R A C Y

L E S S O N 7 - 2 1 T E A C H E R H A N D O U T

T R U E C O S T O F B O R R O W I N G M O N E Y A N S W E R K E Y

SCENARIO 1: CASH ADVANCE LOAN

You want to buy a new iPod head-set for $80 but don’t have any money saved You see an advertisement for a payday loan and decide to give it a try The short term loan is due to be paid in full on your next pay day in 2 weeks and you will be charged 18% interest per week on the principle amount How much will interest will you have to pay? How much will the total payday loan cost?

($80 principle x 0.18 interest) = ($14.40 x 2 weeks) = ($28.80 interest + $80 principle) = $108.80 paid Would you take this loan? YES NO

SCENARIO 2: CREDIT CARD

You want to buy the latest video gaming system It costs $500 A friend is coming to visit this coming weekend You do not have time to save for the purchase, so you apply for a credit card You are accepted and your new card has a monthly interest rate of 10% You plan to pay the credit card off in 6 months How much do you need to pay every month?

($500 principle x 0.10 interest) = ($50 x 6 months) = ($300 interest + $500 principle) = ($800.00 total paid /

6 months) = $133.33 monthly payment

Would you take this loan? YES NO

SCENARIO 3: CAR LOAN (3 YEARS)

You turn 16 and are ready to hit the road in style! You have a part time job and are approved for a car loan for up to $5,000.00 for 3 years with a 7% annual interest rate After lots of car shopping, you find the ride of your dreams, but what will it really cost you in interest? How much will the total loan cost over 3 years (36 months)? How much will you need to pay every month?

($5,000 principle x 0.07 interest) = ($350 x 3 years) = ($1050 interest + $5,000 principle) = ($6050.00 total paid / 36 months) = $168.05 monthly payment

Would you take this loan? YES NO

SCENARIO 4: HOME MORTGAGE LOAN

T R U E C O S T O F B O R R O W I N G M O N E Y A N S W E R K E Y c o n t

The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

You are ready to settle down and purchase a home You apply for a first time home buyer’s loan and contact your local real estate agent After lots of searching, you find a home that suits your needs It costs

$100,000.00 Your loan is approved for $100,000 for 30 years (360 months) at 5% fixed annual interest rate

Answer is not amortized, so interest paid and total cost will be high:

($100,000 principle x 0.05 interest) = ($5000 x 30 years) = (150,000 interest + $100,000 principle) =

($250,000 total paid for house / 360 months) = $694.44 monthly payment

Most loans are amortized, which is a calculation that subtracts the payment from original loan amount, then calculates interest owed every month If amortized, interest paid is $93,255.78 over the life of loan =

$193,255.78 total paid to purchase the house and a monthly payment of $536.82

Would you take this loan? YES NO

F I N A N C I A L L I T E R A C Y

L E S S O N 7 - 2 1 S T U D E N T H A N D O U T

J O U R N A L P A G E

DATE:

Lesson 7-21 BANKING AND PERSONAL CREDIT

Q1: Are you a good saver or do you tend to spend all you have? Give an example

Q2: Are you a good shopper or do you buy the first thing you see? Give an example

Q3: What kinds of products are you willing to borrow money to obtain?

Answers:

CAREER GUIDANCE WASHINGTON ▲ WWW.K12.WA.US ▲ OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

► Identify multiple sources of money

► Rate different uses of money as ‘need to have’ or ‘want to have’

► Outline several benefits of saving money

► Identify and examine several influences on how money is spent

MATERIALS NEEDED

– Money Management

– The Benefits of Saving Money

– What Would You Do?

► Blank paper and writing utensil

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1 Students indicate their knowledge of money and how it works Read the following statements

and have students reply after each statement with a ‘Fist to Five’ gesture - holding up a closed fist (no understanding), one finger (very little understanding), and a range up to five fingers (I

understand it completely and can easily explain it to someone else)

– I know several ways a person can earn income to make a living

– I feel comfortable explaining how a savings account works

– I understand how money in a savings account accumulates interest

– I can define compound interest

– I know the difference between wanting something and needing something

– I can identify 10 different sources of money

– I can give three reasons why people save money

Tell students that learning how to earn, save, and spend money is a very important life skill In today’s lesson, they will get their first look at how money works in our society

LESSON 6-15 ▲ INCOME, SAVINGS AND SPENDING

2 Students identify multiple sources of money Tell students that, once upon a time, the world

did not have any money People made their own food, built their own homes, created their own clothing, hammered out their own hunting gear and cooking pots, and made their own gifts for others If they wanted something that someone else had, they ‘bartered’ – traded something they had too much of (eg potatoes) for something they wanted more of (eg corn) Ask students why someone ever invented money Encourage students to understand that sometimes corn owners have enough potatoes As our culture advanced, people’s needs could not always be met with bartering By enabling the potato seller to get money for his crop, he/she could use that money to buy anything from anybody Money gave flexibility to people – enabling them to purchase

whatever they needed to live

Tell students that money has progressed a lot since the days of using it to obtain ‘needs’

Nowadays, money is regarded as a tool for giving people choices for things they ‘want’ and ‘need’

Ask students if they know where a person can get money nowadays Tell students a source of money is part of a person’s ‘income’ Lead the class in a general brainstorming session about different sources of income They should identify things like a salary, overtime pay, a bonus or gift, interest on savings, investments, selling things (eg garage sale), community services (eg bottle return), government support (eg welfare), scholarships, loans, insurance claims, pensions, profit sharing, and gaming (eg lottery ticket) Record brainstormed ideas on the board Tell students

to record the list of income sources on their blank sheet of paper

Encourage students to recognize that income is available from a variety of sources Families use many of these sources to keep themselves alive and healthy Students will use a combination of those sources to pay for their post-secondary education

3 Students differentiate between ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ Ask students to explain the difference

between “Needing to Have” something and “Wanting to Have” something For example: “I need to have food for dinner, but I want to have a touch screen cell phone.” Help students to see that a

need is something you require to live A want is something that is not necessary but would be great to have

Ask students to categorize listed items on the worksheet into the most appropriate column Allow students to work in pairs as they place items into each column on the table The last question on this handout asks students to add five additional items of their choice into each column After the students have had time to complete the tables, the teacher will ask a few students to share their additional items from each column with the class and include the rationale for placement

LESSON 6-15 ▲ INCOME, SAVINGS AND SPENDING

CAREER GUIDANCE WASHINGTON ▲ WWW.K12.WA.US ▲ OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

4 Students assess the influence on how money is spent Tell students there are five key

influences on how money is spent Write them on the board – The Cost of Living, Emergencies, Tradition, Change, and Advertising Put students into five groups and assign one of these topics to each group Their task is to define the influence and explain how it shapes the way we spend our money After a few minutes of discussion, have groups summarize their conclusions Encourage

students to produce responses similar to the following

– The Cost of Living is the first influence on how we spend our money The first payments

go to our mortgage/rent, car payments, food, clothing, and other ‘needs’

– Emergencies can influence how money is spent Sometimes people need to purchase

something requiring a large sum of money that wasn’t planned

– Tradition can consume a lot of a person’s income If you always travel to a certain spot,

always spend a lot on birthdays, always bring gifts when you visit a home, or always buy lottery tickets, these traditions can use up a lot of your available funds

– Change drives people to spend more The latest fashion, video gaming systems, cell

phones, iPods, and music players make the ones you have seem out-of-date

– Advertising can also influence what we think we need or want Ads can make one brand

seem more important, one item more popular, and/or one product more irresistible

5 Students ask questions about the value of saving money Distribute a copy of The Benefits of

Saving Money to each student Ask each student to read the page After they finish reading, quiz

students on their comprehension, using the following questions

– How does saving money help when you want to buy something? Why not borrow?

– How does saving money help when an emergency happens?

– Why would people save money to use when they are much older – at retirement age?

– What is interest and how does it encourage a person to save money?

– What is compounding interest and how does it encourage a person to save money?

6 Students debate the value of spending vs saving Tell students the following scenario, “You

have $5,000 in a savings account that is earning approximately $16.00 in interest a month.” Divide

the class into two groups Give the handout, What Would You Do?, to one person in one group

and assign them Situation #1, and do the same for Situation #2 in the other group Explain that they must reach ‘consensus’ (everyone agrees) on their response Additionally, they will present their solution to the other half of the class There is a possibility that each large group might not come to a full consensus The power of this lesson is in the student’s discussion and persuasion about whether to save or spend the money

7 Students reflect on what they learned about money Repeat the ‘Fist to Five’ introductory

activity by asking students to show what they know for the following statements

– I know several ways a person can earn income to make a living

LESSON 6-15 ▲ INCOME, SAVINGS AND SPENDING

– I feel comfortable explaining how a savings account works

– I understand how money in a savings account accumulates interest

– I can define compound interest

– I know the difference between wanting something and needing something

– I can identify 10 different sources of money

– I can give three reasons why people save money

STUDENT PRODUCTS

Why do people save money? There are several reasons:

► Sometimes people save their income so that they can buy something that is very expensive, such

as a college education Adults may save money for their own child’s college expenses or a new car or vacation If people don’t have the money right away – and they don’t want to borrow the money so they won’t have to pay interest – they might save money a little at a time until they can afford what they want

► Some people save their income in case they need it for an emergency Let’s say you own a fancy bicycle It might be a good idea to have some money saved so that if your bicycle breaks, you can afford to have it repaired Adults might save money for home and car repairs or to have an income

in case they get sick and are temporarily not able to work

► People also save their income for their retirement/old age If they have money saved up, they can afford to retire and work as little as they like (or not at all!)

Advantages of placing income in a savings account:

It is important to save your income It’s an intelligent way that YOU can plan to get what you need or want

It is a strategy used so that your money can earn more money When money is placed in a savings

account in a financial institution, the money earns interest Interest is ‘a fee paid for borrowed or saved money’

Lisa inherited $2,500 from a close relative She decided to put $2,000 in a savings account at the bank, collecting 4% annual interest over the next five years How much will she earn in interest over those five years?

Year One - $2,000 + $80 (4% interest) = $2,080

F I N A N C I A L L I T E R A C Y

L E S S O N 6 - 1 5 S T U D E N T H A N D O U T

W H A T W O U L D Y O U D O ?

Scenario: You have $5,000 in a savings account that is earning approximately $16.00 in interest a month

Based on what you have learned in this lesson, what would you do in the following scenarios?

Situation #1: Apple has just launched the new iPad™ product, which is still hard to buy in stores To buy

the top-of-the-line iPad, it will cost you approximately $900 Your parents don’t want you to touch your savings because it has been designated for college You know that you could save allowance or do yard work to earn the money, but you really want the iPad now What would you do – buy now or wait?

Situation #2: Your family planned a vacation to Disneyland for spring break Assume you’ve never been

there before You are very excited to go as it has been your dream for three years now But the family car just broke down and all the money for the trip was used up toward the repair of the car You know that there is enough money in your savings account to cover the cost of the entire trip Your parents said you don’t have to use your savings account, that they would start saving again, and when enough money was resaved, they would take you to Disneyland at that time You really want to go to Disneyland now What would you do – travel now or wait?

CAREER GUIDANCE WASHINGTON ▲ WWW.K12.WA.US ▲ OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

► Summarize their top ten achievements in middle school

► Identify the three most important ‘things to work on’ to be successful in high school

► Students celebrate successes and challenges from the past year

MATERIALS NEEDED

– Pre-High School Thoughts

– Journal Page

► An item for catching and throwing

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1 Students compare watching life to doing life Write this quote on the board:

"There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

The Matrix (1999) - Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne)

Ask students what they think Morpheus is saying What is the primary difference between

watching a sport and playing a sport? What is the benefit of playing over watching? What is the benefit of watching over playing? If you want to build personal capacity, explore personal interests, discover new things in the world, is it better to watch or play the game? Which is safer - watching

or playing? Help students understand that sometimes, it is better to 'know the path' and just watch things going on However, most of the time, it is better to 'walk the path' and get fully engaged with wherever you happen to be

Tell students that today, they are going to evaluate their middle school experience - identifying their

top achievements, celebrating personal successes and challenges

8-17 ▲ TRANSITIONING TO HIGH SCHOOL

2 Students reflect on their years of middle school Distribute a copy of Pre-High School

Thoughts Handout to each student Ask students to look back at their middle school years Ask

them to identify their top ten achievements since entering 6th grade They may identify academic achievements, activity achievements, social achievements, family achievements, or personal achievements Encourage students to recognize that they have accomplished things, even if they wanted to accomplish more

3 Students code their top achievements Ask students to look over their top achievements in

middle school Tell them to put the word ‘academic’ beside any achievements that involve grades, awards, courses, or skill development Have them write the word ‘activity’ beside any

achievements that involved in-school teams, clubs, or other school activities Have them write the word ‘social’ beside any achievements that involved communication, friendship, or expansion of personal networks Write the word ‘family’ beside any things that have improved with your parents, siblings, or other relatives Finally, write the word ‘personal’ beside the development of new interests, new future goals, or anything else that is not coded Ask students to notice which

category showed the greatest number of top accomplishments Tell students that they should be proud of what they have achieved in middle school

4 Students discuss their hopes and fears about high school Ask students what they are most

excited about when they think of attending high school next year, and what concerns them most Have a ball or something that students can toss to one another When the ball is caught they must share an answer Recommend that students think of at least three or four answers before the game starts Give the students a few minutes to think of answers or write them down if necessary After students have had several minutes to answer and toss the ball, ask students to write their top two hopes and top two fears on the handout

5 Students discuss ways for making high school a meaningful experience Ask students to

define what a meaningful experience is Encourage them to see ‘meaningful’ as an active

connection between what a person does and who they are (or are becoming) Ask students to think of one way that a student could make high school more meaningful On your signal, ask all students to come to the board and write their one idea Ask students to look at all the ideas and look for common themes

6 Students select the three best ways for them to make high school a meaningful experience

Ask students to think of the three most important things to work on in order to be more successful

in high school and get meaning from the experience Encourage them to get ideas from the board Have them write their answers on the handout